Secret of the Tamer revised
by yukipup
Summary: Kaien Cross takes in a teenage girl named Keiko Mie whose family was brutally slaughtered by a Level E vampire. She soon becomes friends with many of the vampires at Cross Academy...and finds out a secret about her life she never knew existed. AidoxOC
1. Chapter 1

_~*Okies! So…been a while since I updated anything. But I was looking through the stories that I had on my computer and I decided that I didn't like the way that some of them had turned out when I first posted them…like this one lol. So. Secret of the Tamer had gotten some really good reviews last time it was posted, so here's what I want the fans of the original to do: I have gone through and rewritten every chapter of this story, and I'd like you guys to tell me how you think this one compares to the original that was posted like…three years ago xD So! Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino and all that lovely stuff, disclaimer, disclaimer, disclaimer. Now! Here's the link to the original:_

_EDIT: Okay so for some stupid reason, it's not letting me link to the original story. So! This is what I'm gonna do. After typing FanFiction into the address bar, type this after it: .net/s/4720368/1/Secret_of_the_Tamer This SHOULD take you straight to the original...let me know if it doesn't!*~_

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><p><em>Cross Academy…A private school run under Headmaster Kaien Cross. There, classes are held two times everyday: once during the day, and the other at night. The Day Class consists of those ordinary honor students whose parents were able to get them in. The Night Class is formed of many elite, extremely good-looking students. So…what makes those in the Day Class different from the Night? The answer is simple: The Night Class is formed entirely of vampires. "Vampires?" you may say. "Yeah, right. Vampires don't exist!" Well…you're wrong. They do exist and they go to school just like everyone else. At least, the ones from Cross Academy do. So have I gotten you to believe yet? "But…aren't vampires nothing but blood-thirsty monsters?" you may ask. The answer is yes…and no. There are many classes of vampires. The first would be the A Class purebloods: the highest, most feared level of vampires. They run everything and everyone under them, using the lower class members to sometimes do their dirty work. The second level would be the B class nobles. They serve under the purebloods and have special powers, usually the power to control an element. After them, you have ordinary vampires in the C Class and vampires in the D Class that were once human, but were saved from becoming an E Class. Finally, there are E class vampires. E class vampires are the worst kind that you could ever get involved with. They are those that were human at one point but soon lost all sense of reason and deteriorated into nothing but a blood thirsty monster. "So does every human bitten by a vampire turn into one themselves?" That answer is no. You see, you can only turn into a vampire yourself if you are bitten by a pureblood vampire. Of course, if you are bitten by a pureblood, you could just as easily die than turn into a vampire. Then again, I'm sure you would rather choose death. The slow, aching process of turning into a vampire messes with the mind. Over time, a person's thirst for blood becomes greater and greater until finally they can't control it anymore. The bloodlust takes over and they attack any human that they wish. But those are the bad vampires. There are good ones too; and those are the ones that attend Cross Academy.<em>

Chapter 1:

Keiko Mie sat on her bed and stared blankly at the blood-stained carpet in front of her. Her shoulder-length, reddish-brown hair fell messily over her face, covering bright blue eyes that were now full of despair. Just yesterday, everything seemed so perfect. No one had seen this coming. It had started out like any other day. Keiko had gotten up and eaten breakfast with her parents and baby brother. Afterwards, she had gone to school and then at the end of the day she had headed off with her best friend to study for an upcoming test. And then her cell phone rang. She had rushed home as fast as she could only to be greeted by a group of professional vampire hunters. Keiko had stared down at the motionless, mangled, and bloody bodies that were her family with tears streaming down her cheeks, trying to comprehend what had happened. A large pile of ashes, the remains of the attacker, stirred and drifted across the ground as a sudden wind blew.

"Three Level E's in one place…attacking one family…what the hell is going on?" one of the hunters asked his companions. The other two shook their heads as they looked down at the ashes. The hunter that had spoken suddenly noticed Keiko and walked over, kneeling down beside her and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Your family?" he asked. Keiko just nodded. The hunter looked back at his companions then helped Keiko onto her feet. "Let's get you inside," he said, casting one last look at the other hunters before helping the shocked girl into the house.

The inside was hardly more of a comfort. The glass from the windows was scattered all over the blood stained carpet. The furniture was overturned, the television and other electronics were broken, leaving pieces of exposed wire sending sparks all over the floor. Keiko barely noticed as she was guided through the living room and up the stairs. It didn't occur to her to try and catch herself as she stumbled and the hunter had to catch her and steady her on her feet. After what seemed like hours, the two finally came to a closed door at the end of the hall. Keiko looked up at the brief pause in motion and it took a moment for her to recognize that they were at her room. The hunter opened the door and brought Keiko to her bed, setting her down on it gently then taking a step back. "You going to be okay?" he asked. Keiko stared down at the floor in silence. "Do your want to stay here by yourself?" No answer. The hunter turned around and left the room, and soon Keiko heard the front door close.

Her family was gone and now she had nowhere to go. She had no other family. Her mom, her dad, her baby brother…they were all she had left. And now they were dead. This house was blood-stained, destroyed, and everywhere she looked, the images of her dead family filled her mind. What was she supposed to do now?

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><p>Keiko was dragged out of her thoughts by the sound of the doorbell ringing. She lifted her head wearily, ignoring the pounding in her skull, and stared out her doorway. She hadn't been able to move from the spot on her bed for more than 24 hours since the hunter had brought her there. She hadn't eaten or slept…just sat, staring blankly at the floor. The continuous ringing of the doorbell finally stirred her to stand up on her shaky legs and, after pushing away a wave of dizziness, she worked her way down the stairs to answer the door.<p>

Outside the house, a girl with long, brown hair and eyes stood with a guy with silver hair and violet eyes in front of the door. The girl rang the doorbell one more time before turning to her companion. "I guess she's not home."

"Or maybe she's just tired of hearing the doorbell ring over and over and over…."

"Shut up, Zero!" the girl countered. "You're so mean! What is she's hurt? Or worse! What if she's—" The girl was cut off as the doorknob rattled and the door opened slowly.

Keiko peeked out of the door and stared at the visitors. "Can I help you?" she asked softly.

The female on the doorstep smiled and gave Keiko a light wave. "Hi!" she greeted. "I'm Yuki Cross and this is Zero Kiryu. We'd like you talk to you if that's okay…"

Keiko looked behind her at the disaster that used to be a happy family home then shrugged. "If you want. Just please excuse the mess."

Yuki and Zero followed Keiko through the house, carefully stepping over pieces of glass and debris as they followed Keiko into the middle of the living room. Zero bent down and picked up a piece of glass that was lying in a puddle of blood. "This is definitely the place," he said to Yuki who simply nodded.

"E-excuse me," Yuki called to Keiko. Keiko stopped and stared at the floor. "You're Keiko Mie, right?"

Keiko swung around quickly and stared at Yuki with a look of suspicion . "Why?"

"I take that as a yes," Zero interrupted before Yuki could answer. "Come with us…now."

"You could be a little nicer, Zero! After all, her whole family was killed by a Level E vampire."

Keiko stiffened and glared even harder at Yuki. "How do you know that?"

Yuki looked back at Keiko warmly. "Keiko, we'd like you to come with us. If you do…then we can tell you everything."

The suspicion in Keiko's eyes died only slightly as she continued to stare at Yuki. She had never met these people before in her life, yet they knew her name, where she lived, and what had happened to her family. But even so…it was the only lead she had. "What have I got to lose?" she responded with a sigh.

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><p>The three arrived at Cross Academy a few minutes later. The school was like a huge castle-like building with smaller complexes diagonal from it on the left and right. Zero and Yuki led Keiko into the school, down hallways, and up stairs until they came to the headmaster's office. Yuki gave Keiko a comforting smile as Zero knocked on the door.<p>

"Come in!" someone beckoned in a sing-song voice.

Zero opened the door and glared at the man sitting happily behind the desk. "Do you always have to act like such an idiot?"

The headmaster, Kaien Cross, was a man about in his early thirties with long, blond hair pulled back in a ponytail and glasses over his bright light brown eyes. He wore a very colorful scarf around his neck that trailed over his white dress shirt. The man giggled then looked over at Keiko. "I see you've found her! Hello, Keiko," he greeted as he held out a hand to her. "My name is Kaien Cross. I'm the headmaster of this school. It's very nice to meet you." Keiko looked down at the outstretched hand in front of her then turned her head away to the side, ignoring the headmaster's friendly gesture.

Headmaster Cross lowered his hand then laid his head in his palms. "Keiko, the reason I have had Yuki and Zero bring you here is because I have a proposition to make."

Keiko looked up and stared into the man's brown eyes. "A…proposition?" she repeated softly.

Kaien nodded. "I heard about what happened to your family, and I can't begin to tell you how terribly sorry I am for your loss. But if you like, you're welcome to stay here at the Academy under my custody. You can finish your schooling here as well to make things easier on you."

Keiko stared at Kaien for a moment longer before sighing lightly. "Why are you so interested in me?"

Kaien looked down at his desk briefly before looking over at Yuki and Zero who had also averted their eyes. "Both Yuki and Zero," he explained, "were victims of a vampire attack."

Keiko gasped and turned around to face the two that had brought her in. "Both…of you?"

Yuki nodded. "Zero's family was killed by a vampire just like yours was. I don't remember my family that well," she gave Kaien a quick warning look, "but when I was five, I was attacked, too. I was saved by someone named Kaname and he brought me to Headmaster Cross who adopted me." Yuki tried her best to keep a straight face as she talked to Keiko. After all, Yuki and Zero both were vampires although they hid it nicely. Yuki was a pureblood vampire from the Kuran family who was betrothed to her brother and lover, Kaname. However, Yuki and Kaname both had been in the middle of a serious argument, causing the two of them to split and go their separate ways. Yuki went and found Zero, her childhood friend and former human, and the two of them had paired up for the time being. Kaname had returned to Cross Academy as the Moon Dorm President and, no matter how much Kaien disliked it, all contact between the two Kuran siblings was cut off. Yuki's thought quickly faded away as she forced herself not to show any emotion as she looked at Keiko.

Keiko was looking back at Kaien, her eyes full of sorrow. "My parents…and my baby brother were killed," she sniffed, as tears gathered in her eyes. "He was only five. He didn't deserve to die the way he did." She stopped and looked down at the ground. "And my parents…they were so happy….I don't see why…" Keiko broke off in a soft sob as she covered her face with her hands. Yuki's face fell and she leaned against Zero lightly, taking his hand in hers and looked over at Kaien sadly.

Kaien caught the look and gave Yuki a kind of half smile before looking back at Keiko. "Keiko…"

"No," Keiko said softly. Kaien looked at her curiously as the young brunette lifted up her head and met his eyes. "I…I have no one else to turn to. I'll stay with you, but…don't expect me to forget what happened."

Kaien smiled sympathetically at Keiko. "Of course not, my dear," Kaien said warmly as he stood up and walked over to Keiko, giving her a tight hug.

Yuki smiled and nudged Zero. "We're going, Dad!" she said as she waved to the headmaster.

The man's eyes lit up excitedly. "You…you called me 'Dad'!" he exclaimed. "Be good, kids! I'll see you soon!" Yuki waved and Zero raised a hand in farewell as the two walked out of the room.

Kaien turned back to Keiko. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

Yuki walked hand in hand with Zero as they walked out of the gates of the school. "It's been a while since we were last here…huh, Zero?"

"Yeah," Zero replied, looking up at the sky. "Almost two years since the incident with Rido…" he looked down when Yuki went silent. "You miss him."

Yuki looked up at Zero in confusion. "What?"

"Kaname."

"Oh," Yuki said softly, her gaze drifting to the ground as they walked. "Maybe it was for the best," she said sadly.

"Maybe," Zero said. He brought their hands to his mouth and gently kissed Yuki's before dropping them back to the two's sides.

"Least you don't have to worry about becoming a Level E anymore," Yuki pointed out with a wink. Zero just smiled as the two walked off the school grounds.

Meanwhile, Keiko stood in the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She had just taken a shower in Kaien's living quarters and put on some clothes that he had given her. Although the clothes consisted of nothing more than a T-shirt that was way too big for her and a pair of underwear and a bra that Kaien had managed to snag out of what used to be Yuki's dorm room, Keiko was still grateful. Tomorrow she was to start school as a Cross Academy Day Class student, but tonight Kaien had told her that she was welcome to stay in his private living quarters until she had a dorm made ready for her. She sighed and opened the door and walked out, jumping back in shock when she bumped into someone who was walking down the hallway. "Oh, sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine," a soft male voice replied.

Keiko looked up to see a guy with dark brown hair and eyes that seemed to have a touch of red mixed in. Keiko recognized his uniform as being that of the Night Class. "Are you…in the Night Class?" she asked, although she was certain she knew the answer.

The boy nodded. "Kaname Kuran at your service," he replied as he bowed slightly, never once breaking eye contact.

"Uh…"Keiko stammered as she felt her face warm up slightly. "I…I have to go see the headmaster…so…yeah."

Kaname looked down at her with a hint of amusement in his eyes. He knew that the girl was at loss for words…only because he himself was going to go meet with the headmaster. And Kaien's office happened to be in the opposite direction. Still, Kaname gave her a soft smile. "Good night," he said as he watched her go down the hall.

Keiko blushed as she opened the door to the headmaster's guest bedroom. Kaien had told her that the only requirements of her living with him was that she made her bed everyday and ate all the food that Kaien prepared for her…both of which would not be hard at all for the brunette once she was able to settle down. Keiko walked over to the bed and flopped down on it. _'Kaname Kuran,'_ she thought as she closed her eyes. _'Why does that name sound so familiar? Will I ever meet him again?'_ And with those thoughts swirling around in her mind, Keiko rolled over on her side and drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, just down the hall, Kaname reached Headmaster Cross's office and walked in.

"Don't you ever knock anymore?" Kaien asked him with a sigh.

"Who's the girl?" Kaname asked distractedly.

"Hm?" Kaien looked up at him. "You mean you don't know? That was Keiko Mie. Her family was killed by a group of rogue Level E vampires."

Kaname frowned and snapped his gaze from the doorway to Kaien. "Why didn't I know about this?"

"I thought you would have," Kaien told him, genuinely confused. "You being a high and mighty pureblood vampire and all. I thought nothing got past you."

Kaname clenched his fist. "Is she…?"

Kaien shook his head. "You can tell, Kaname. I know you can. She's a pure human. And she'll be attending the Day classes tomorrow."

"I see," Kaname said, deep in thought as his gaze wandered to the doorway again. "That reminds me. Things have been getting troublesome without a prefect I've heard. Do you think you could look into that?"

"I've been made aware, Kaname," Kaien told him with a disappointed sigh. "But you know, I can't just send anybody. Nobody knows about you and the Night Class being nothing but vampires. Or the existence of vampires period!"

Kaname was silent for a moment then looked up with a curious glint in his eyes. "What about Keiko?"

Kaien looked up at him. "I can't do that, Kaname. She wouldn't be ready. It's too soon after the accident."

Kaname's eyes glowed a bright blood red. "There are ways to prepare her," he said before walking out of the office.

Kaien raised a frustrated eyebrow as he watched the vampire leave his office. "Kaname…"


	2. Chapter 2

_~*Hey everyone! So I got a question with the last chapter, and I decided I'd address it now :3 Basically, even though I have the whole story and everything on my computer, I'm going to update it as if it was a work in progress and I was still working on the chapters. Just that way people aren't overwhelmed with the whole story like...right away. Plus, it gives me a chance to leave people with some terrible cliffhangers in case I decided to change something major at the end of a chapter ;D That being said, enjoy Chapter 2!*~_

Chapter 2:

The next day, Keiko opened her eyes and squinted as sunshine flooded through her window and onto her face. The brunette sighed as she forced herself to sit up in the bed and stretched her arms over her head. Today was her first day attending classes with the Day Class…but Keiko wasn't quite sure whether she was looking forward to it or not. She stood up and looked around the room for a short moment before pulling her hair back in a messy ponytail and leaving her room. Moments later, she came to the headmaster's office and knocked on the door. "Headmaster?" she called softly.

"Please, call me Kaien," said a voice behind her. Keiko jumped and turned around in shock then quickly settled down as she recognized Kaien. The headmaster smiled gently at her. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you! Come to get your uniform?" he asked as he walked over to his desk.

Keiko nodded. "Headmas…I mean Kaien?"

Kaien looked up from the papers he was reading in his hands. "Yes, Keiko?"

"Why are there two different classes at this school?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head.

A look of shock flashed across Kaien's eyes for a moment before he set the papers down and met Keiko's eyes seriously. "Keiko, the students of the Night Class are different than the rest of the students at this school. They're a very elite group here at Cross Academy."

"Is there like…a special test they have to take?" Keiko asked.

"You could say that," a voice from behind said.

Keiko turned around and Kaien looked up to see Kaname standing in the doorway. "You're up early," Kaien told him in dry humor.

A small smile came to Kaname's lips. "I had something to discuss with you," he lied easily, turning his eyes to Keiko.

Keiko looked back at him, a small blush coming onto her face at the look of intensity in Kaname's eyes. "Am I…eligible to take this test?" she asked slowly. It wasn't that Keiko didn't like the Day Class…of course, she hadn't even been to any of her classes yet. But there was something about Kaname, something she couldn't quite put her finger on, that made her very curious about the him and the other members of the Night Class.

"I don't see anything wrong with it," Kaname said, a hint of mischief coming to his eyes.

Kaien audibly cleared his throat then bent down and picked up a black and white Day class uniform from under his desk then handed it to Keiko. "Go ahead and get changed, Keiko. I'll take you to your class in a couple minutes."

Keiko smiled. "Okay. Thank you, Kaien," she said as she walked out of the office and shut the door behind her.

"Nothing wrong with it?" Kaien asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kaname closed his eyes and chuckled. "She seems interested enough. And it would prepare her for the guardian position."

Kaien frowned and settled his chin on his intertwined fingers. "I never agreed to that, Kaname. You know what I said before. She's not ready. I don't know if she ever _will_ be ready. The only thing I can think of is if a _vampire_ was guardian, but it's been years since that happened." The headmaster noticed a reddish glow coming to Kaname's eyes and he slammed his hands on the table, causing Kaname to look at him.

"What's gotten into you, Kaname? You know as well as I do that you can't bite a human!"

Kaname frowned back. "I never said anything about biting her. Besides, nothing would be wrong with it as long as I shared some of my blood with her."

"Still," Kaien started, settling down a bit, "she doesn't know about you being a vampire, and if she did…"

Kaname turned to leave. "Just ask her about the disciplinary committee position. Something has to be done about the Day Class." Then, without another word, the pureblood opened the door and left.

Kaien sighed wearily. "What am I going to do with him?" he asked himself quietly.

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><p>Kaname walked out of the school and headed back to the Moon Dorm. He was suddenly greeted by Takuma Ichijo, a blond-haired, green-eyed teen vampire and Kaname's best friend. "There you are, Kaname," Takuma greeted the brunette. "I got worried when I didn't see you all day."<p>

Kaname walked up to Takuma and they continued on their way to the Moon Dorm together. "I had business to take care of," Kaname said simply.

"That explains a lot," Takuma replied, looking away from Kaname. "Seiren was worried since she hadn't seen you either."

"I didn't tell her where I went," Kaname said.

"That's obvious," Takuma told him. "Kaname…what's wrong?"

Kaname stopped and looked back at Takuma. "What do you mean?"

"You're thinking about something, I can tell. You've been kind of out of it every since Yuki…well you know…"

Kaname was silent for a minute and Takuma took a step back, not knowing what to expect next from Kaname. Finally though, the brunette spoke, a kind of distant look coming into his eyes. "A new girl was taken in by Headmaster Cross. Her family was killed by a group of Level E vampires."

Takuma looked over at Kaname, surprised. "And we didn't know about it?"

Kaname shook his head. "That's what bothers me. I'm the first person that knows this type of thing so we can take care of it on our own…_without_ involving the hunters. But…" Kaname trailed off and stared into space.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Takuma said in an attempt to calm the brunette. "One or two Level E's—"

"Three."

"Even so. Three Level E's escaping our notice is hardly any reason for concern."

Kaname looked at Takuma for a brief second before continuing to the dorm. "We shall see…"

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><p>Keiko sighed as her class finally ended. It was only her first day, but she had already taken so many notes that her hand had starting cramping before she was even halfway through with her classes. Keiko quickly stuffed her books into her bag, picked it up, and walked out of the classroom. First on her list was finishing her homework. After that came exploring the school grounds. No sooner had Keiko walked only a few feet down the hall did she hear someone calling her name. Keiko turned around to see Kaien jogging towards her. "Good afternoon, Keiko!"<p>

"Good afternoon, Kaien," Keiko replied. "Do you need me?"

"Yes, actually," Kaien told her. "Would you follow me to my office, please?"

Kaien led Keiko to the office then sat at his desk. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "Keiko, I have a question."

"Okay?" Keiko said slowly, catching the hesitation in Kaien's voice.

"You remember Yuki and Zero, right?" Keiko nodded. "Of course you do. Well, they were the prefects of this school and helped maintain order between the two classes when the time came for them to alternate use of the school building. However, since they left the school a couple years ago, the Night Class has been having…difficulties. I was going to ask you if you wanted to take over the position."

"But," Keiko started, "this is only my first day! I don't know anything about this school!"

"I know, Keiko, I do. And I'm aware that this request may sound ridiculous, but Kaname Kuran—"

Keiko's head shot up. "K-Kaname?"

Kaien nodded slowly. "I understand if you don't want to, I mean this must sound absolutely absurd."

"Well…I do have to say that it does sound a little crazy…" Keiko admitted as she crossed her arms in thought. "But I was going to go explore the school grounds anyway, so I suppose I can get a feel for the school then…"

"Great!" Kaien said, giving Keiko a smile. "Now go on before it gets too dark."

Keiko nodded then walked out of the office. Kaien frowned and laid his chin on his folded hands. "I just hope she doesn't scratch herself…"

Keiko walked out of the school and took a deep breath. "Ah," she exhaled as she took a seat on the stairs of the school and pulled out her books. "Homework first." After a few minutes of reading and writing in her notebook, Keiko stuffed her books back into her bad and stood up. The sun was just beginning to set so Keiko figured she had about two hours or so before it got too dark to see anything. Even with the death of her family sitting heavily on her shoulders, Keiko was determined to have a fresh start at Cross Academy.

Keiko wandered along the stone path that led through the small forest within the school grounds quickly before stopping suddenly and looking around. "Um…where am I?" she asked herself. She hadn't been paying much attention to where she was going and now it was getting dark. Keiko looked down at the path she was on, only to realize that, as a result of her walking around aimlessly, she was no longer on the path, but instead in a clearing next to a small body of water. The sudden sound of something moving through the trees caught her attention and she caught a glimpse of two red, glowing orbs flash among the trees. "Hello?" she called softly. Seconds later, the orbs returned and Keiko realized with a jolt that there were two glowing, red eyes staring back at her hungrily. Soon, the sound of heavy breathing reached Keiko's ears and it soon hit the girl that she was in danger. Keiko whimpered and ran in the opposite direction, and it wasn't long before she heard the sound of rushing behind her as whatever was in the trees gave chase. The image of the ashes from the vampire that killed her family flashed through her mind and caused her to gasp. _"Could it be…a vampire?"_ she thought to herself, not daring to slow down enough to look behind her. Keiko's panic grew as she tripped over a rock and fell, hitting her knee badly against the rough ground. She stumbled her feet, wincing as pain shot up her leg. She could hear her pursuer gaining fast on her location and, no matter how much it hurt, she had to get out of there. She forced herself to start running again, though much slower this time, and moments later she came to the edge of the forest…and the stone path that led to the school. However, she was too far from the school or the main school grounds entrance to know which way to run. Keiko's hesitation soon proved to be a mistake as a heavy weight soon crashed into her side, knocking her to the ground. Keiko moaned and looked up to see a ragged looking vampire looking down at her, saliva dripping from the fangs in the creature's open mouth. The vampire licked its lips as it took a step toward Keiko, it's heavy breathing breaking into hunger crazed laughs as it approached her. Keiko attempted to stand again, but her injured leg gave out from under her and she fell to her knees. The vampire laughed maniacally and lunged itself at the trembling girl. Keiko closed her eyes tight and screamed as loud as she could, hoping someone, _anyone_ would hear her. The vampire suddenly stopped as a bright light began glowing from Keiko's neck and a crackling ray of light shot from her neck and blasted the vampire away from her. Keiko opened her eyes and looked in shock at the smoking vampire on the ground. "W-what happened?" The vampire groaned and stood up, its eyes glowing even fiercer than before and lunged again. However, just like last time, the vampire stopped just before digging its fangs into Keiko's body. When the brunette opened her eyes and looked up, she saw why: there was a sword of ice sticking out of its chest. Keiko leaned to the side slightly and saw that there were two guys from the Night Class standing behind the vampire—one with blond hair and blue eyes and the other with bright orange hair and red-orange eyes.

The blond walked over to the now collapsed vampire and pulled out his sword. "That was messy," he said to his partner with a smile as the sword evaporated into thin air.

"I think you're forgetting something, Hanabusa," the red-head said, pointing to Keiko.

The blond looked away from his friend and down at Keiko curiously. "A Day Class student..? Oh! She's hurt!"

"Don't even think about it, Hanabusa," his friend warned. "You know what happened last time…"

"Aw, Akatsuki, I was just gonna do it a little bit," the blond whined.

"Uh…"Keiko started, turning the boys' attention back to her. "Who are you?"

"You mean you don't know?" the blond asked surprised. "I'm Hanabusa Aido and this is Akatsuki Kain, my cousin. Forget Akatsuki! You've never heard of me before?"

Keiko shook her head. "N-no. I just started here today."

Hanabusa smiled and bent down in front of her, leaning forward slightly as he took a small sniff. "Mmm…that explains why I've never smelt your blood around here before. It certainly does cause a drunken feeling," he sighed, looking down at Keiko's bloody knee. _'Eh, what the hell,'_ he told himself before bending his head down and slowly beginning to lick the blood off.

"Hanabusa," Akatsuki warned again, taking a step forward.

Keiko sat in shock as she watched Hanabusa lick her knee clean. When he lifted up his again to look at her, she noticed a red glow to his formerly blue eyes. "Just as intoxicating as it smells," he said, licking his lips. Keiko gasped as she saw a pair of fangs sticking out from Aido's mouth.

"Y-you're a…" she broke off as Hanabusa leaned forward and sat almost nose to nose with her.

"Vampire?" Hanabusa finished for her as he smiled. "That's right."

Keiko gasped as Hanabusa slowly leaned forward, his mouth wide open as he inched closer and closer to Keiko's neck. The girl had just felt Hanabusa's fangs touch her neck when he stopped suddenly. The two of them looked up to see Akatsuki holding the back of Hanabusa's shirt collar. "I'm not getting in trouble for your actions again, Hanabusa," the blond's cousin said sternly.

"Wise decision," a voice spoke behind them. All three turned around as Kaname stepped out of the trees. He stopped and looked at the ashes of the dead vampire then to Hanabusa and Akatsuki. "If I remember correctly," he told the two, "class has started already."

"K-Kaname," Keiko said softly.

Kaname looked down at Keiko then back at the two males. "You two get back to class. I'll take care of her. And, Aido," he said as the two passed him. Hanabusa looked at him with a slightly frightened look. "I'll deal with you later," Kaname told him threateningly.

Hanabusa sighed then walked back to school with Akatsuki at his side. Kaname watched them leave then turned back to Keiko and kneeled down in front of her. "Are you okay, Keiko?" he asked her. "Aido didn't bite you too hard, did he?"

Keiko shook her head slowly. "N-no, he only licked the blood off my knee. No biting. But…he…"

Kaname looked down at her sympathetically. "Yes, Keiko, Aido is a vampire. Actually, to tell you the truth…"

Keiko's eyes widened as she stared up at Kaname's face. "You…you don't mean.."

Kaname gave Keiko a small nod. "Here, I'll help you up," he said as he began to lift her up by her arm.

Keiko jerked away from his grip and took off down the path back toward the school. Kaname watched her go then looked down at the scattered remains of the vampire from before. _'What was an E Class doing here?'_ He stood, staring at the ashes until finally he turned and headed back to the school.

* * *

><p>Keiko burst through the doors of the school and ran down the hall toward the headmaster's office. <em>'Kaname…Kaname's a vampire? That's…that's impossible!'<em> Her thoughts were broken when she ran into someone. She fell backwards and looked up to see Kaien looking down at her.

"Keiko?"

"Kaien?" Keiko stared up at Kaien in panic. "Kaien! Kaname! And…and Aido! They…they're vampires!"

Kaien looked at her surprised before smiling gently and helping her to her feet. "I'm guessing you found out. Yes, Keiko, Kaname and Aido are both vampires…as are the rest of the Night Class."

Keiko's eyes narrowed as she looked up at Kaien. "Are _you_ a vampire, too?" she asked suspiciously.

"No, Keiko, I'm not a vampire," Kaien explained. "But I am an ex-vampire hunter. I organized the class in hopes that humans and vampires could co-exist peacefully. Hm?" It was then that Kaien noticed Keiko's once again bleeding knee. "Come with me to the infirmary and I'll explain everything else."

Kaien let Keiko to the infirmary and set her down in a chair then walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a bag of cotton balls and a bottle of disinfecting alcohol. "Hold still," he said a he wet a cotton ball in the alcohol and pushed it onto the wound. Keiko winced but did nothing else as she watched Kaien. "Why wasn't I told?" she asked softly.

Kaien looked up at her after he wrapped a bandage around her knee. "I didn't want to make you feel vulnerable, Keiko. The vampires here…they all listen to Kaname. They're here to try out my pacifism plan for humans and vampires because I don't want them to have to fight anymore than they have to."

"But…humans and vampires…can they really get along? I mean, don't vampires try constantly to drink the blood from humans?"

"Yes," Kaien admitted with a look to the side. "But we're trying out a new method of controlling a vampire's lust for human blood." Kaien dug around in his pocket until he found a small container. He opened it up and took out one small tablet. This," he said, holding it up to her, "is a blood tablet. It suppresses a vampire's urge to drink blood so they don't go after humans. Occasionally, though, blood tablets aren't enough and vampires get tempted from the smell of humans or sometimes even their own kind. That's why…" He looked down at Keiko's knee then back to her eyes. "That's why we need a prefect around. With the Day Class mobbing the Night Class every chance they get, there's an ever increasing chance that a vampire can get carried away and reveal their secret."

Keiko sat and stared at Kaien for a long moment before finally looking to the side. "Are you asking me because my family was attacked?" she asked softly.

"I'm asking you because I think you of all people here must wonder why vampires and humans can't just live together in harmony."

Keiko placed a hand on her bandaged knee then looked back up at Kaien. "I'll give it a try," she said with a smile.

Kaien visibly relaxed. "Thank you, Keiko."

* * *

><p>The next day, Kaien took Keiko to the park and stood in front of her. "Okay, Keiko. Being a prefect requires a strong body and quick reflexes. You never know when you'll need to attack at a moment's notice. So, Keiko, how physically fit are you?"<p>

Keiko stared up at the sky in thought. "Well…I've been taking marital arts classes since I was four and I played soccer and basketball at my old school."

"Good, good," Kaien said seemingly distracted. Then he suddenly sprang forward and attacked Keiko with a pole that he had been holding at his side. Keiko reacted quickly, dodging the pole with a cartwheel and once on her feet, she grabbed the pole firmly in her grasp. "Very impressive," Kaien told her, honestly amazed. "I think you'll do just fine."

Keiko smiled up at him. "You think so? Thank you, Kaien!"

Kaien smiled back at her then reached into his jacket. "Oh! I almost forgot to give you this." Kaien pulled out a silver gun with a crystal chain dangling from the handle and handed it carefully to Keiko.

"But…I don't know how—"

"It's really quite simple," Kaien said, cutting Keiko off. "First, just unlock the safety," he showed her how to do so then handed the gun back to her. "You see that target back against that tree?" He pointed to a red and white target that was hanging against a tree trunk and Keiko nodded. "Hold the gun with both hands and aim straight ahead." He watched as Keiko brought the gun up and held it in front of her with both hands and aimed for the target. "Now fire."

Three shots rang clearly through the air and Kaien patted Keiko's head proudly as he looked at the target that now had three perfectly clear bullet holes in the middle of the bull's-eye. "Very nice, Keiko. Now…this gun is called the Scarlet Wings. There are spells cast on its bullets that make being hit with them extremely painful for vampires. Sometimes, it's even fatal…if shot in the right place."

Keiko tilted her head. "The right place being…?"

"The heart or the head," Kaien said, meeting the girl's eyes seriously. "You keep that in mind, and you'll be perfectly safe."

* * *

><p>Keiko stood outside the Moon Dorm gates as the Day Class girls gathered around. They were all squealing and talking to each other excitedly about which Night Class guy they liked the best. As the gates creaked open, the squeals became louder and soon, the girls were all screaming at an all time high. Keiko covered her ears in annoyance and glared at the squealing teens. A couple tried to sneak past Keiko, but she quickly grabbed them by the back of their collars and gently, but firmly, flung them back into their lines then blew her whistle loudly. "No one gets past me," she said sternly.<p>

"I see you accepted," a familiar voice said in her ear. Keiko swung around and saw Kaname standing next to her. The girls began screaming again, but Kaname merely glanced at them then turned his attention back to Keiko. "I dealt with Aido, just like I promised," he said with a glance over at the pouting blond. "He knows to behave."

"Right…" Keiko said with a glance at Hanabusa. "Thanks, I guess…."

Kaname smiled at her then continued on his way and soon, all the vampires made it safely and undisturbed to the school. And after just one guardian job, Keiko was now a force to be reckoned with among the Day Class. "Now," Keiko said, turning to the girls. "To your dorm! Now!" And in a mad frenzy, all the girls ran to their dorm, not wanting to risk starting a fight with the new prefect.

Satisfied, Keiko walked toward the school to patrol the surrounding area. She soon came to the place where she was attacked the night before, yet, for some reason, it didn't scare her like it did before. She heard leaves rustle and immediately pulled out the gun Kaien had given to her and aimed it in the direction of the sound. "Come out!" she called bravely.

"Okay, okay! Just don't shoot!" Keiko lowered the gun as Hanabusa stepped out of the trees with his hands up in front of him.

"Aido? Shouldn't you be in class right now?"

"Y-yeah," Hanabusa said with a slight blush. "I should. But…" he glanced up at Keiko.

"What?"

"I…I wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday," the blond said as he stared back at the ground. "I was out of line."

"Did Kaname tell you to come apologize?" Keiko asked with a raised eyebrow.

Hanabusa looked at her and shook his head. "No, I came of my own free will. I'm really, really sorry, Keiko. Really, really sorry."

Keiko put her gun back inside her uniform and crossed her arms. "I believe you, Aido," she said with a small smile. "So…how exactly _did_ Kaname deal with you?"

Hanabusa pouted again. "He hit me…hard. Harder than he usually does."

Keiko frowned lightly. "I'm guessing you get in trouble a lot."

Hanabusa shrugged. "Yeah. I try not to, but I don't think the blood tablets are working on me like they should."

Keiko smiled a bit and put a hand on his shoulder. "You'll be fine, Aido. Just give it time."

Hanabusa nodded as his eyes drifted back to the ground. "Y-yeah."


	3. Chapter 3

_~*Hey all! Sorry, I know it's been a while since I actually uploaded something, but here's the next chapter for Secret of the Tamer Revised! For all of you who are watching all my other stories: I'm getting to updating those, too...Just give me time. Even thought I've had like...a year to do it...yeah. Anyway, enjoy all!*~_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 3:<span>

Kaien sat at his desk with a stack of papers in front of him. His face had adopted a kind of determined look as he read the content of a folder that was laying on his desk in front of him. He looked up when Kaname entered into the room.

"You needed me?" Kaname asked. "I can't be away from class for too long."

"That's never stopped you before," Kaien remarked. "Anyway, I have important news. I did some inside research on Keiko and was able to get my hands on some family records from the hunter society's archives. _This_ is what I found." He pushed the folder toward Kaname and leaned back in his chair.

Kaname picked up the folder and stared at the contents for a moment before he looked back at Kaien with wide, shocked eyes. "You mean…"

Kaien nodded.

"That would explain why I was attracted to her so easily," Kaname said, setting the folder back on Kaien's desk. "What are you going to do?"

"I have yet to decide," Kaien admitted, closing his eyes. "I wanted your input as well before I said anything…to anyone."

Kaname looked to the side in thought. "We could always put her in the Night Class regardless of her being a human. After all, if what those records say is true, she should have no problem at all."

"So then that's your decision?" Kaien asked.

Kaname gave a short nod. "I believe it would be for the best."

"Very well," Kaien sighed. "She'll attend the Night Class starting tomorrow, but she'll stay in the guestroom here instead of staying in the dorms. I don't want to take any chances."

"I understand," Kaname said, turning for the door. "I'll be in class if you need me."

* * *

><p>Keiko yawned as she headed back to her room. She had been up all night patrolling and, now that it was daytime, all the Day Class students were on their way to class. "I guess that means me, too," Keiko sighed as she walked into the headmaster's bathroom. Before she was able to get undressed, however, there was a knock at the door.<p>

"Someone's in here!" she yelled, annoyed.

"It's me, Kei-chan! Can you step out here for a moment, please?"

Keiko opened the door and stood with her hands on her hips as she faced Kaien. "Make it quick or you'll make me late for class."

"No, I won't!" Kaien replied with a smile. "I'm moving you to the Night Class!"

"Say wha?" Keiko said in shock. "I'm not a vampire!"

"I know," Kaien said. "But I was able to dig up some old records of your family history from the hunter association. It turns out you are a descendant of an elite group of vampire tamers: the Mie Clan."

"Vampire…tamers? You mean my family killed vampires?"

"No, no," Kaien replied with a chuckle. "Those are vampire hunters. Tamers are something entirely different. They are specially trained in many forms of magic and use spells and magical charms to keep vampires and their powers in check. I found this," he held up a small chain bracelet, "among the ruins of your house."

"You went to my house?" Keiko asked, examining the bracelet. It seemed like any ordinary piece of jewelry as far as Keiko was concerned. The chain was made of pure silver and every third link had a crystal dangling from it…and every crystal, Keiko noticed, was engraved with an image of a lily.

"It was the only way I could confirm it," Kaien said in answer to her question. "The lily was the universal flower of the tamer society. It's said that they marked everything they made with the flower's image as a way to identify their products. This bracelet is charmed with a spell that is meant to tame higher level vampires, like the Night Class, so I'm afraid this won't work on Level E's. But I do hear that there is a necklace out there that acts as a sort of force field against high level vampires as well as Level E's."

Keiko stood in thought for a moment. "Wait a second.." She disappeared into the bathroom and seconds later returned with a necklace in her hands. "I was wearing this a couple nights ago when I was attacked by that vampire," she said as she handed the necklace to Kaien. "The vampire was blasted back, but I wasn't sure how."

Kaien took the necklace from her and examined it closely. The chain, like the bracelet was made from pure silver and there was a single diamond charm of a lily hanging from the chain and a small crystal hanging from the bottom of the lily. "I believe that's it," Kaien said, handing the necklace back to Keiko. "This could have been the reason your family was killed Keiko. I think someone knew your family's secret."

Keiko clipped the necklace back around her neck and stared down at the charm that was now resting against her chest. "My mother gave this to me when I was little," she said softly. "I never realized that it was used to tame vampires. So then…if I'm around the Night Class I can make them do whatever I want?"

"Not necessarily," Kaien said with a chuckle. "The bond between a tamer and a vampire is more than a simple master-slave relationship. A very strong bond forms between the two if both parties allow it to. You could say the vampire becomes "man's best friend" so to speak. They become extremely loyal to the tamer and will do their best to not let any harm come to the tamer at any cost."

"Sweet," Keiko said with a smile. "I guess that would explain why I haven't had any trouble with the Night Class yet."

"Sounds like I don't have anything to worry about," Kaien told her. "I have some things to take care of so I'll see you soon, okay?"

"'Kay," Keiko said back with a small wave before disappearing into the bathroom once more.

That night, Keiko stood in front of her mirror as she examined herself in her new Night Class uniform. After her conversation with Kaien that morning, she had taken a shower then gone to sleep almost immediately after her head hit the pillow. "I totally think the white suits me better anyway," she said with a wink at her reflection. She suddenly gasped as she noticed the time on the reflection of the clock behind her. "I have guardian duty!"

She burst out of the room quickly and ran to the Moon Dorm gate, just in time as the gates opened. "Everybody, back away!" she yelled at the gathered Day Class girls. They all turned around and jumped away from the door, scattered whispered filling the air as the Day Class girls took in Keiko's new uniform with a mix of awe and jealousy. Keiko turned around and watched as the Night Class students walked out, giving a small wave to Hanabusa who smiled at her. He looked away when Kaname, who was behind him, hit him in the back of the head and glared at the blond.

"Hello, Keiko," Kaname said, walking up to her. "Your uniform has changed."

"That's right," Keiko said happily. "I'm joining the Night Class as of tonight!"

Hanabusa stopped and gave Keiko a curious stare. Keiko put her hand behind her back and waved to him, signaling that she would explain later. Hanabusa sighed and walked into the school. Then, after Keiko scared the Day Class away, she ran after the vampires and headed to class with them.

* * *

><p>Keiko stopped as she stepped into the Night Class's classroom. All of the vampires turned to look at her with glowing, curious red eyes. "Who in the world is that?" a light brown-haired girl asked.<p>

"Keiko!" Hanabusa exclaimed standing up. He sat back down when Kaname turned to look at him and stared at the ground. _'What did I do this time?'_ he wondered.

Kaname turned back to Keiko. "Good evening, Keiko."

Keiko waved with a smile. "Hi, Kaname."

"Kaname-sama…she's not a vampire," the other girl pointed out.

"No, Ruka, she's not," Kaname said, never taking his eyes from Keiko. "Her name is Keiko Mie."

"Mie?" Ruka repeated. "You mean a…?"

Kaname nodded shortly.

"A what?" Hanabusa asked, standing up and taking a couple steps toward Keiko. He suddenly stopped dead and stared at Keiko, the shine in his eyes slowly fading.

"Hanabusa!"

"Aido!" Akatsuki and Ruka clearly began to panic as Hanabusa failed to respond to them. Kaname looked on indifferently.

Hanabusa suddenly shook his head then looked around at the panicking vampires. "What happened?" he asked. He then noticed a glow out of the corner of his eye and looked down to see Keiko's bracelet and necklace glowing faintly. "A…tamer?"

The other vampires stood up quickly and Takuma moved over next to Kaname. "What's a tamer doing here at Cross Academy?" he asked, a faint hint of recognition appearing in his eyes.

"So I was right," Ruka said quietly. The other vampires turned to look at her. "The Mie Clan was an elite family of vampire tamers who were able to control our kind with charms like she has. Some of them even sold their secrets to the hunter association."

Akatsuki clenched his fist. "So what should we do? If she's able to tame us, how do we know she won't kill us all off?"

"No," a messy haired brunette answered. He lifted up his head and stared at Akatsuki with sky blue eyes. "She won't because…"

"Because what, Shiki?" Akatsuki asked.

"The Mie Clan has never had a history of harming a vampire…ever," Shiki told the group. "The charms that the hunters got their hands on were stolen from the tamers. In fact in a story I heard, the tamers were often the ones that helped vampires escape hunters."

"Humans helping vampires?" Ruka said skeptically. "Come on, Shiki, do you really believe—"

"Yuki did it. Didn't she?" Kaname broke in calmly. Ruka turned to look at him. "I requested for Headmaster Cross to transfer her from the Night Class."

"Why would you do something like that?" Takuma asked.

Kaname gave him a look that clearly said "I have my reasons" and Takuma nodded. "Well," Kaname said, leaning against the wall, "I believe class is about to begin." He finished his sentence and looked toward the door. Hanabusa leaned to the side slightly to look behind Keiko and quickly worked his way back to his seat.

Keiko looked behind her and saw a man with dark hair in a suit standing behind her. A metal patch covered his right eye, but his left eye was a brilliant pale blue. "You must be Keiko," he said, looking down at her. "Kaien has told me all about you. The name's Toga Yagari and I'm a vampire hunter…Although I'm also the Ethics teacher for this bunch. So," he pushed Keiko forward a bit roughly, earning a death glare from Kaname and Hanabusa, and closed the classroom door. "Find a seat so I can get started."

Keiko sat down next to Hanabusa and smiled at him. The blond vampire blushed and looked away, casting a nervous glance at Kaname who was frowning at him. _'It's going to be a long night,'_ the blond thought wearily.

* * *

><p>Class ended right around dawn for the Night Class. Keiko waved goodbye to Kaname then headed over to the headmaster's living quarter to her room. Hanabusa had been having constant behavior changes all night, one minute being cheery and the next being silent and glum. <em>'I wonder what's wrong with him?'<em> she thought as she walked into her room.

Meanwhile, in the Moon Dorm, Hanabusa walked anxiously toward Kaname's room. The brunette had requested his presence and, honestly, Hanabusa wanted to do nothing more but turn around, run to his room, and dive under his bed covers. He hesitated outside the door but finally walked in when Kaname called him. "Come in, Aido."

Hanabusa opened the door gradually and peeked his head inside. "Y-yes, Kaname-sama?"

"Will you get in here?" Kaname snapped, causing the window behind him to crack.

'_Oh…he's definitely mad,' _ Hanabusa thought uncomfortably as he walked into the room and closed the door softly behind him.

Kaname was sitting at his desk with his head leaning against his hand. The pureblood honestly looked bored out of his mind, but Hanabusa knew better. The blond stopped in front of the desk and looked nervously at the ground.

"Seems you've taken quite a liking to Keiko," Kaname said, glancing up at Hanabusa who turned his head to the side.

"Of course not," the blond spoke quietly, trying to choose his words carefully so as not to enrage Kaname. "I know that she's your dear girl…like Yuki was."

Kaname smirked and leaned back in this chair, staring hard at Hanabusa as he spoke. "So, you have realized it by now. Keiko is very special to me, as well as the rest of the Night Class. Of course, some special considerations have to made…" he glanced up at Hanabusa who was looking at him confused. "That's all I wanted. Leave."

"Yes, Kaname-sama," Hanabusa stepped back, bowed, then shakily walked out of the room. No sooner had the blond closed the door behind him did he lean against it with a heavy sigh of relief.

"Spared, from Kaname's wrath, Aido?" Takuma asked from nearby, a smile playing at the blonde's lips.

Hanabusa turned and looked at him. "Ichijou…yeah. I was spared this time, but…"

"What's wrong?" Takuma asked, tilting his head slightly.

"I didn't do anything this time," Hanabusa replied bewildered. "Really!"

"I agree," Takuma said with a sigh, lowering his voice in case Kaname happened to be listening. "Kaname _has_ been acting weird, but I think it's best if we just let it pass. Just…just don't do anything to make him suspicious of you, okay?"

Hanabusa nodded and watched as Takuma entered Kaname's room. "Ah, Kaname…" Hanabusa scratched the back of his head and walked to his room. Outside the door, Akatsuki was talking quietly to Ruka. The two looked up as Hanabusa approached. "There you are, Hanabusa," Akatsuki greeted him. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Akatsuki," Hanabusa mumbled, walking into the room and closing the door.

Akatsuki switched puzzled looks with Ruka then sighed. "I'll talk to you later, Ruka."

"'Kay," Ruka replied. She glanced one last time at the door that Hanabusa has disappeared through then turned and strolled off down the hall.

Akatsuki walked into his room and saw a huge lump under the covers of Hanabusa's bed. "It's not like you to go to bed immediately after class, Hanabusa," Akatsuki joked. He was answered with mumbling from under the blankets. "Can't hear you," he sighed.

Hanabusa pulled the covers from over his head. "I said, 'I'm in trouble with Kaname-sama and I don't like it'." He pouted and hid his head again.

"Aren't you always in trouble?" Akatsuki asked, unbuttoning his shirt and pulling it off. He was answered by more mumbling. "Still can't hear you."

Hanabusa uncovered his head again in annoyance. "I said, 'But this time I didn't do anything wrong.' He's acting all weird and aggressive for no apparent reason."

Akatsuki looked at the blond as Hanabusa covered his head again. "I don't know what to tell you, Hanabusa," he said, pulling the curtains closed then climbing into his bed. "I guess we'll just have to see."

* * *

><p>Hanabusa woke up in a cold sweat about noon. He had been having a dream about being chased by a vampire hunter that had a tamer charm in his possession. He had run inside an abandoned building and thought he was safe, only to be cornered by the hunter. The hunter held up the charm, causing Hanabusa's free will to wave and just as the death shot was fired, the blond had woken up. He sat up and looked over at Akatsuki who was still sleeping soundly. <em>'Lucky,'<em> he thought. Hanabusa got up and put on a polo shirt and jeans, a style that he rarely chose. _'Might as well go walk around.'_ As soon as he got to the door, a voice behind him made him stop. "And where are you off to?"

Hanabusa turned around and saw Akatsuki sitting up in his bed sleepily. "Not trying to run away again, are you?" the red-head asked.

Hanabusa shook his head. "No…I had a nightmare, that's all. I just wanted to walk it off."

"Don't get caught," Akatsuki warned with a yawn before lying back down and covering his head with his blanket.

Hanabusa waited until Akatsuki's breathing slowed down as he went back to sleep then opened the door and walked out. The hallways were quiet since everyone else was sleeping as well. Hanabusa looked both ways down the hallway before creeping down the hall and down the stairs. Then, making sure no one was around, he quietly opened the door and slipped out without a sound.

The sun was shining brightly outside and the sudden rays on the blonde's face made him groan unhappily. "Great, it just _has_ to be sunny, doesn't it?" he mumbled before walking toward the gate. Just as he walked through the Moon Dorm gate and started towards the main gate, someone yelled at him.

"Aido! No Night Class students out during the day!"

Hanabusa turned and saw Keiko running towards him. "Hi, Keiko," he greeted softly.

"Hi," Keiko greeted back, noticed the somewhat distant look in Hanabusa's eyes. "Is something wrong?"

"I couldn't sleep," Hanabusa mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "Nightmare."

"Oh…I couldn't sleep either," Keiko replied with a shrug and halfhearted smile.

"Well…I suppose I'll just head back to the dorm—"

"No wait!" Keiko grabbed Hanabusa's arm and stopped him from walking away. "You don't have to go back right now…right? Wanna go for a walk?"

Hanabusa shrugged in agreement. "Okay."

The two exited the school grounds and headed towards the city. They wandered around the main streets for a while, Hanabusa not saying one word the whole time, causing Keiko to become more and more uncomfortable. "Aido, are you okay?" she asked.

Hanabusa nodded silently.

"You're lying," Keiko said, glancing at the ground awkwardly. "Are you hungry?"

"Not really," he mumbled.

"But you haven't had any blood lately, right? Maybe all you need is—"

"I don't _need_ blood to survive, Keiko." Hanabusa sighed.

"Oh," Keiko said, throwing the two back into an awkward silence. "Are things really that hard with Kaname?" she asked hesitantly after a few minutes.

Hanabusa's head shot up as he stopped walking and he looked at her with a frown. "Of course not! Why would you even think that?"

Keiko looked back at Hanabusa sympathetically. "I'm not blind, Aido. I notice whenever both of you are around me. Kaname gets really aggressive for some reason, and you're usually the one to take the brunt of it."

Hanabusa looked down at his feet. "It's that obvious, huh?"

"Only a lot," Keiko said, forcing a small smile.

"Oh," Hanabusa said quietly. He sighed and looked over at Keiko, a kind of confused light coming into his eyes. "Keiko…what if…what if he doesn't like me being your companion?"

"What?" Keiko met the bright blue eyes in shock. "What are you talking about?"

"Your companion," Hanabusa repeated. "As in like…the vampire that helps to protect you and all that."

Keiko frowned lightly. "Well… I don't really think that's something you can help," she said slowly. "I don't pick and choose who the powers work on."

Hanabusa looked down at the ground again and shrugged. "I know, but…something still feels weird…"

Keiko frowned and walked in front of him. "What feels weird?"

"I'm…not sure," the blond replied with a light shrug. "Something inside my chest. It's just…whenever I look at you…I get this dull ache in my chest. I dunno whether it's a result of being tamed or—"

Hanabusa looked up when Keiko started giggling madly, causing him to pout and look away. "It's not funny," he mumbled.

"No, I know," she said in between laughs. "I'm sorry." After a couple more seconds, she finally stopped laughing and looked up at the still pouting blond. "I don't think it's the taming, Aido. It's not really that hard to figure out that you have feelings for me."

Hanabusa's face turned bright red and he held his hands up defensively. "N-no I don't!" he protested. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"It's okay, Aido," Keiko told him as she moved to hug his arm. "I kinda like you, too."

"You…do?" the blond asked. He suddenly shook his head and looked down at the ground again. "No…you can't."

"And why not?"

"Because you're Kaname-sama's dear girl," he said with a pout.

"I don't remember ever agreeing to being _anyone's_ dear girl," Keiko said with a frown. "That's for me to choose."

Hanabusa shrugged weakly and gave Keiko a small smile in response.

Keiko smiled back and took Hanabusa's hand in hers. "Now come on. Let's go get something to eat."

* * *

><p>Back at Cross Academy, Takuma woke up to a knock on his door. "Who is it?" he asked sleepily.<p>

"It's Kaname," came the voice outside his door. "Let me in."

Takuma laid back down and pulled the covers over his head. "It's unlocked, Kaname-sama," he moaned.

Kaname opened the door and walked inside. He took one look at Takuma buried under his covers then sighed. "Get up, Ichijou."

Takuma yawned and sat up again, rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Have you seen Aido?" Kaname asked with a cold edge to his voice.

Takuma shook his head then cocked it slightly to the side. "No, Kaname-sama. Last time I saw him, he was coming out of your office."

"And after that?" Kaname asked, his eyes narrowing.

Takuma shrugged and struggled to hold back yawn. "I don't know. You might try asking Akatsuki. They _are_ roommates after all."

"Perhaps," Kaname said as he turned around and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Takuma laid his head back down with a sigh. "You better not be off with Keiko," he said sleepily as he closed his eyes, letting out the yawn he had held back just moments before. "It's really for your own good."

Down the hall, Kaname knocked briefly then opened the door to Akatsuki and Hanabusa's room. "Akatsuki," Kaname called.

The red-head sat up sleepily and blinked a couple of times before his eyes widened slightly in surprise. "Oh, it's you, Kaname-sama. Is everything alright?"

"Where is Aido?"

Akatsuki stared at Kaname for a second then looked at Hanabusa's bed_. 'Uh oh…he's not back yet,'_ he thought worriedly.

"Well?" Kaname pressed.

Akatsuki scratched the back of his head and looked to the side nervously. "Earlier today, Hanabusa had said that he had a nightmare and was going for a walk."

"Around what time?"

"Noon?" Akatsuki answered, a bad feeling rising in his gut.

"Is that so?" Kaname stared at Akatsuki for a moment longer before he turned and left the room.

'_You're in for it now, Hanabusa,'_ Akatsuki thought as he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

Kaname squinted as the sun shone on his face after he opened the door to the Moon Dorm. It was almost time for the Day Class to get out of class and there was still no sign of Hanabusa…which meant the blond was in a load of trouble.

The brunette made his way down to the Moon Dorm gate and opened it, nearly running into Kaien as the latter moved to open the gate. "Oh, Kaname-kun!" he greeted. "Good. You're just who I wanted to see! You wouldn't happen to have seen Keiko running around, have you?"

Kaname frowned, his suspicions beginning to become confirmed. "Keiko's missing, too?"

"Too?" Kaien repeated. "Is someone missing from the dorm?"

"Hanabusa Aido is missing. From what I hear, he had a nightmare and went for a walk around noon today. He hasn't been seen since."

"Interesting," Kaien said thoughtfully. "Oh, look!" he said, his attention drawn to something behind Kaname. "There's Keiko now!"

Sure enough, Keiko was walking down the path from the school to the Moon Dorm, humming thoughtfully to herself. She stopped when she saw the two males watching her. "Hi, Kaien-san! Kaname-san! What's going on?"

"Hi, Keiko!" Kaien greeted back. "What are you up to?"

"Just on my way here for guardian duty," Keiko answered, casting a quick look in Kaname's direction. "The Day Class just got out."

"That's a good girl," Kaien said, patting her on the head. "By the way, have you seen Aido anywhere my chance?"

Keiko blinked innocently and shook her head. "Nope! I've patrolled the whole campus and I haven't seen him. Are you sure he's not in his room?"

Kaien looked at Kaname and shrugged lightly. "Maybe you overlooked him, Kaname-kun."

Kaname stared at Kaien for a small moment, looked to Keiko who merely grinned at him, then walked back through the gate to the dorm.

Kaien looked at Keiko after the gate closed and smiled. "I better be getting back to my office. I'll see you for dinner, Kei-chan!"

Keiko waved in reply and waited until Kaien was out of sight before turning around and motioned to someone in the trees. Hanabusa immediately ran out and over to Keiko's side. "You were right," the blond panted. "They were looking for us."

"I figured they might be. Now hurry and get back to your room. You should be able to do it without getting caught if you do exactly what we talked about."

Hanabusa nodded. "I'll see you in class, okay?"

"Kay." Keiko sighed as she watched Hanabusa run inside the gate. "Please don't get caught," she whispered anxiously. "Please."

Hanabusa ran down the path toward the dorm. He and Keiko has come up with the perfect plan, now all he had to do was carry it out. He ran around to the back of the building and snuck in through the back door, making sure no one was around to see him as he shut the door again. There was a small staircase in the back of the dorm building that continued all the way up to the roof that was used in emergencies only…and Hanabusa considered this an emergency. He slipped into the stairway and ran up the stairs as quickly, and quietly, as he could. At the second floor, he stopped and pushed his ear against the door. He could hear Kaname's voice and then Ruka answering him. _'Good. I have enough time if I hurry.'_ Hanabusa ran up to the next level and crept through the door, made sure no one was around, then broke into a silent run to his room. Akatsuki looked up as he heard the door swing open and Hanabusa dashed into the room.

"There you are," Akatsuki said with a sigh of relief. "Kaname-sama's been looking everywhere for you."

"Yeah, I know," Hanabusa replied, quickly stripping off his shirt and pants and throwing them into a drawer. Then he quickly threw his pajamas back on and dove under the bed.

"What are you doing?" Akatsuki asked him in complete puzzlement.

"SH!" Hanabusa told him, sticking his head out from under the bed and holding a finger to his lips. "As far as you know, I came back hours ago."

"But I already told Kaname-sama I haven't seen you since noon."

Hanabusa smirked and winked as his cousin. "You wouldn't know I came back if you've been asleep the whole time, now would you?"

Akatsuki smiled back. "That's actually smart. Good thinking."

Hanabusa gasped as the doorknob rattled, and he hid his head under the bed again and pretended to be asleep.

Akatsuki put on his best sleepy face as Kaname walked into the room. "Find him yet?" he asked casually.

Kaname looked around the room suspiciously. "Not yet…" the brunette replied, walking over to Hanabusa's bed. After a moment of staring at the piece of furniture, Kaname bent down and looked under it, groaning in annoyance a second later. "GET UP, AIDO!" he yelled.

Hanabusa jumped, hitting his head on the bed for added effect, then rubbed his eye in fake sleepiness. "Ow…Kaname-sama, I was having a good dream," the blond whined.

Akatsuki shook his head and smiled. _'You're one hell of an actor, Hanabusa.'_

Kaname straightened up and Hanabusa crawled out from under the bed, standing up as well. "Oh, is it twilight already?" the blond asked, looking at the open curtains.

Kaname narrowed his eyes, the air thickening as the pureblood's anger slowly grew. "Yes. Just what were you doing under the bed?"

"Oh, that," Hanabusa said, as if he had been there all day. "After I had a bad dream, I got up and walked around a bit, but Keiko caught me and told me to go back to the dorm, so I did, and I crawled under my bed because the sun was shining so brightly through an opening in the curtains and onto my face that I couldn't possibly get a proper rest and I needed a dark place to go back to sleep."

Akatsuki stared at Hanabusa in shock, amazed that his cousin came up with such an excuse that quickly. He regained his composure when Kaname looked over at him. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I was asleep between the time he left and you came in," Akatsuki answered with a shrug. "You know as well as I do that I sleep like a log."

Kaname looked from one cousin to the other, frowning as he took in what they told him. Finally he closed his eyes and groaned. "Just get ready," he told the two as he left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Akatsuki looked over at his blond cousin and laughed shortly. "So just where exactly did you go, Hanabusa?"

Hanabusa winked. "Out with Keiko," he said softly. "We went out to lunch."

"You sly little blood sucker," Akatsuki said, shaking his head. "I knew you couldn't have come up with such a foolproof plan on your own. Keiko helped you, didn't she?"

Hanabusa smiled. "Yeah. Oh, Akatsuki, please don't tell anyone, okay? I didn't do anything wrong! Honest!"

"Kaname-sama would be extremely angry with you if he ever found out about this…" Akatsuki said, staring hard at the blond.

Hanabusa whimpered. "I know. But, Akatsuki, she and I had so much fun. Please, oh please, oh please don't tell!"

Akatsuki sighed then looked back up at Hanabusa with a smile. "My lips are sealed."


	4. Chapter 4

_~*Hey all! I'm back once again! After yet another long hiatus, I've finally posted a new chappie! In my defense, though, it's been super busy with school and work and I recently got a pretty bad head injury, so that slowed some things down a bit. But oh well! Point is I'm back! :D For you who have read the original of Secret, you'll notice that this Chapter 4 is significantly shorter than the original...this is because, as I was typing the revision, I realized how long Chapter 4 really was and I've simply split it into to chapters. So sorry, guys, you'll have to wait for Chapter 5 to get the real action :P Anyways~ Disclaimer time: Vampire Knight and all of it's characters don't belong to me in any way, shape, or form. The only character I own is Keiko Mie. She's a boss xD Anyway, enjoy all!*~_

Chapter 4:

Keiko glanced at her watch as she made her way to the Night Dorm. She was supposed to be meeting Hanabusa at the gate, but she had to make sure she had something to cover for their absence...just in case. She grinned as she spotted the blond waiting outside for her.

The young vampire spotted her a second later and uncrossed his arms. "It's about time," he said with a small pout.

"Sorry," Keiko aplogized. "I needed our alibi." She waved a piece of paper in front of the confused blond's face and smiled. "I got an errand list from Kaien before I left. This way, if anyone has any questions about where we disappeared to, we can simply pass it off as a favor for the headmaster."

"Good thinking," Aido said, returning her smile.

* * *

><p>The two of Night Class students walked quietly side by side as they made their way into the city. Keiko suddenly squealed and took off running, startling Hanabusa in the process. "Keiko?" he called after her. He broke into a run after her and slowed once he caught sight of where she had run to: an ice cream stand.<p>

Keiko turned to Hanabusa, her eyes full of excitement. "You _do_ like ice cream, right?" she asked him.

The blond nodded. "Yeah...any kind of sweets are fine really."

"Good!" Keiko said, looking back at the menu that hung on the wall. "You wanna share one?"

A light blush came over the blond's face and he gave a slight nod. "S-Sure."

Keiko grinned then turned to the vendor. "One double-scoop ice cream, please."

The man nodded and turned around as he got the teens' order ready. Moments later, he turned around again and held out a cone with two scoops of strawberry ice cream covered in candy hearts and sprinkles. "One lover's special for the two kids," he said with a grin as he handed the cone to Keiko. "Don't worry about the price. It's on the house."

Keiko and Hanabusa blushed as they glanced at each other then smiled. "Thank you," they told the man as they left the stand.

"He was nice," Keiko said before taking the first lick of the ice cream. Hanabusa looked over when the girl suddenly squeaked and a small laugh escaped him as he took in the bit of ice cream that was now on Keiko's nose.

"It's not funny!" she half whined.

Hanabusa chuckled and smiled. "Stay still," he told her before leaning forward and licking the small amount of ice cream off her nose.

Keiko's face turned bright red as she just stared at the vampire.

Hanabusa blinked as the realization of what he just did hit him and he looked away shyly. "Sorry," he said softly.

Keiko shook her head and handed the frozen treat to the blond. "N-no. It's okay."

Hanabusa looked back at Keiko's face briefly before quickly leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her cheek. "Come on," he said holding out a hand to her, a blush forming on his face again.

Keiko smiled, took his hand, and leaned her head on his arm. "Okay."

* * *

><p>Kaien stood looking out his office window at Cross Academy with a smile on his face. He had just given Keiko an errand list and sent her out when he just so happened to see her running toward the Moon dorm and, seconds later, her and Hanabusa walked off together. "Ah. Love is the center of pacifism," he sighed. The turned around at the sound of the door opening and a look of shock crossed his face. "Yuki?"<p>

The brunette looked up at her foster father slowly, revealing puffy, wet eyes and a tear-stained face. "Yuki, what's the matter? Are you okay?"

"Zero..." she whispered, looking down. "Zero...he's gone."

"What do you mean gone?" Kaien exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

Yuki blinked, causing more tears to fall down her cheeks. "The Hunters...They...they put him on the top of their list, and they...they..." the brunette broke off and looked down at the ground as she started sobbing.

"But...he's one of them!" Kaien protested.

"It doesn't matter," Yuki sobbed. "They said there was no way he could truly be on their side since he was a vampire, and...and...they said it was for the best."

Kaien fell backwards in his chair with a heavy sigh. "I was afraid this would happen. Zero..."

"Kaname," Yuki said softly. "I need Kaname."

Kaien smiled softly. "I understand. You should find him in the dorm."

Yuki nodded and wearily walked out of the office, nearly colliding with Kaname as the male was walking in. It only took a second for him to notice the tear-stained cheeks and overflowing eyes and he tilted his head slightly in concern. "Yuki? Are you alright?"

Yuki looked up, the startled look in her eyes fading into relief. "Onii-sama!" Kaname was forced back slightly as Yuki tackled him in a tight embrace. The older vampire glanced up at Kaien and, after only receiving a light shrug and smile from the headmaster, wrapped his arms around Yuki.

"Yuki...what's wrong?" Kaname asked again gently.

"Zero..." Yuki forced out between sobs. "Zero...he's gone."

Kaname again looked up at Kaien for an answer. The headmaster made a gun with his fingers and made a shooting motion at his head. The brunette received the hint clearly and tightened his hold on Yuki. "It's going to be alright, Yuki," he told her.

"No," Yuki said, taking a small step back as she rubbed the tears away from her eyes. "Not yet it's not. There's something I need to tell you...badly."

Kaname nodded without hesitation and followed Yuki, completely forgetting why he had come to the headmaster in the first place.

* * *

><p>Keiko and Hanabusa arrived back at Cross Academy a few minutes before twilight hit. After taking the items from the errand list to the headmaster's residence, the two made their way back to the Moon Dorm gate.<p>

"That afternoon was entirely too short," Hanabusa complained as he hugged Keiko good-bye.

Keiko hugged the blond back and smiled. "I know. But we still have class to look forward to, right?"

"I guess," Hanabusa sighed, looking over at the Moon Dorm. "Guess I'm sneaking in through the back again."

"I'm sorry!" Keiko said, a look of concern washing over her face. "I'm getting you in trouble, aren't I?"

Hanabusa shook his head quickly. "No, no! It's not you!" he assured her quickly. "I wanted to come out here, remember? I'll even be here tomorrow at noon, okay?"

Keiko smiled then stood on her tip-toes and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before turning around and running toward the school. "Bye, Ai-kun!"

Hanabusa watched Keiko leave then turned around and headed toward his own dorm. He saw a few Day Class girls earlier, so he knew it was about time to get back to his room so he could avoid Kaname's wrath. As he walked through the back door, the blond jumped as he realized someone was standing in the stairway. He quickly relaxed as he recognized his cousin.

"Akatsuki!" he greeted happily. "What're you-" The blond yelped as he was suddenly forced against the wall.

Akatsuki placed both hands on either side of Hanabusa and looked into the surprised blue eyes. "You're gonna get me killed if you keep sneaking out like this," he said sternly.

Hanabusa blinked in confusion. "W-what are you talking about?" he asked softly.

"Kaname-sama came by our room to see if you had disappeared again...which you had. And guess who had to face him when he got angry?"

Hanabusa's eyes widened.

"Let's just say it's a good thing us vampires heal quickly. Or it could have been a lot worse."

Hanabusa looked to the side guiltily. "That bad?"

Akatsuki nodded and lowered his arms. "You've got to stop seeing that human girl," he said grimly.

"That 'human girl' has a name!" Hanabusa countered angrily. "And I've only been seeing her for two days so no, Akatsuki, I'm _not_ going to stop seeing her," he added stubbornly.

"Then I guess I have no choice," Akatsuki replied with a sigh as he turned away.

"Where are you going?"

"To tell Kaname-sama."

"No!" Hanabusa cried. "Please, Akatsuki, don't do this! You promised me you wouldn't!"

"That was before my life was on the line, Hanabusa. I have no choice."

"Please!" Hanabusa begged. "I'll stop seeing her! Just don't tell Kaname-sama! _Please!_"

"Promise?" Akatsuki pressed.

Hanabusa hesitated before lowering his head. "Yes."

Akatsuki stared at his cousin for a little longer before turning around. "It's for your own good," he said softly as he left.

Hanabusa let his body slide down to the floor and buried his head in his arms. "What am I going to do?"

* * *

><p><em>~*What a twist! Akatsuki's such a jerk...but hey, can you blame him? Would you want to get caught up in Kaname's wrath? ...Didn't think so. Til next time!*~<em>


	5. Chapter 5

_~*Hi everyone! I decided I'd give you all a treat and upload two chapters this morning. This is the second half of the original Chapter 4 and, if I must say, it's the better half. It was so good, it needed it's own chapter lol. Anyway, hope you enjoy the action packed, new and improved Chapter 5! Don't forget to R & R as always! Oh, and before I forget. Vampire Knight and all it's characters don't belong to me, no matter how much I wish they did. They belong to Matsuri Hino so support her and buy the series! Do it or face the wrath of Kaname-sama! ...Keiko Mie is all mine, though :3*~_

Chapter 5:

Yuki and Kaname stood in his room facing each other, Yuki staring at the floor and Kaname staring at the top of her head. Yuki had just finished telling the story of Zero's tragedy, and had decided that she wanted to stay by Kaname's side forever as they had planned before. Kaname finally broke the silence with a heavy sigh. "You know," he started, causing Yuki to look up, "last time you got mad at me, you wouldn't talk to me at all, and when you finally did, I told you I wouldn't forgive you with just an apology. This time, not only did you refuse to talk to me, but you also ran away with that person. How am I supposed to forgive your actions this time?"

Yuki looked down again. "I know, Onii-sama, but...you know I love you. And you love me, too, right? That's how it's supposed to be, isn't it?"

"Supposed to be?" Kaname repeated. "What's 'supposed to be' anymore, Yuki? You were supposed to become my wife and stay with me forever. You were _supposed_ to come back to me when you settled everything with _him_. You were _supposed_ to be there for me when I needed you the most. And you weren't."

"Kaname..." Yuki stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Kaname. Please...don't be angry. I love you."

Kaname looked down at her then sighed as he hugged her back. "I love you, too, Yuki. More than anything. But next time you betray my trust like this, _I_ will be the one not doing the talking, understand?"

Yuki smiled and hugged him tighter. "Thank goodness," she sighed. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

"Nor I without you," Kaname whispered as he lifted up Yuki's chin and kissed her gently.

* * *

><p>At noon the next day, Keiko walked over to her and Hanabusa's meeting place in front of the Moon Dorm. "Well, this is weird," she said to herself as she looked around. "Aido's <em>always<em> here before me...He's probably just running late," she decided as he leaned against the gate.

Inside, Hanabusa stood in front of his window as he looked down at Keiko standing outside the gate. He placed his hands on the window and leaned his head against the it, heaving a sigh that chilled the glass. "Keiko..."he whispered.

Keiko shifted her weight to her other foot for the fourth time since she arrived at the gate. Two hours had already passed and there was still no sign of Hanabusa. "Where could he be?" she wondered aloud. "Then again...maybe he's mad at me. He _did_ make it a point to ignore me in class last night." Finally, with a sad sigh, Keiko turned and walked back toward the school.

Hanabusa watched Keiko walk back towards the school and whimpered lightly. He wished he could have told her last night what was going on, but there were too many people around to talk privately. During class, Yagari had made it a point to have a pop quiz and insisted on enforcing a no talking rule by any means necessary. Then, after class, Akatsuki had given Hanabusa a look that clearly told him "Get back to the room, or else", so the blond had left without a word. Hanabusa looked over at his sleeping cousin then slowly got into his own bed. "I'm such an asshole," he mumbled as he closed his eyes.

Hours later, Hanabusa opened his eyes as he heard the sound of Akatsuki fumbling through the closet and, seconds later, the blond felt himself being shaken. "Come on, Hanabusa. We need to meet Kaname-sama downstairs."

"I'm not going," Hanabusa mumbled as he covered his head with the blanket.

"Why not?" Akatsuki asked. He sighed a moment later. "Is it because Keiko will be there?"

"Well, it's not like you'll let me talk to her anyway!" Hanabusa countered, sitting up angrily. "You're so worried about your own safety that you don't realize how much I'm suffering! I didn't even get a chance to explain myself to her!"

"That's not true, Hanabusa. It's just that...well..."

"What?" Hanabusa pressed. "You mean to tell me it's not just to cover your own ass?"

Akatsuki looked up at his cousin then shook his head. "Forget it. I'm going."

"That's right! Walk out!" Hanabusa yelled after him. "I don't need you anyway!" The blond glared for a moment then threw his pillow at the door just as it closed.

Akatsuki sighed as he walked down the stairs to meet the others. _'Stubborn, stubborn blond cousin of mine,'_ he thought to himself.

"Hey, there you are, Kain," Takuma greeted. "Hm? Where's Aido?"

"He's not feeling well tonight," Akatsuki told him.

"He did look pretty down at dinner," the blond pointed out thoughtfully. "I wonder what's wrong?"

Akatsuki shrugged then proceeded to follow Kaname and Ruka out of the dorm.

Hanabusa stared out the window as he watched the rest of the Night Class leave. He let out an exasperated sigh as he spotted Keiko standing near the gate as the others walked on. The Day Class students were merely standing nearby, squealing quietly to each other, afraid of Keiko's wrath, but guardian duty was the furthest thing from her mind. _'Aido...'_ she thought, casting a glance up at one of the dorm windows. She gasped lightly when she saw Hanabusa watching her from the window, but as soon as he caught her eye, he turned around and disappeared from her sight.

"Hanabusa's not feeling well," a voice said. Keiko swung around to see Akatsuki standing behind her.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Honestly? You are, Keiko."

"What-? Me?" Keiko repeated in confusion.

"How can I put this nicely?" Akatsuki mumbled, mostly to himself. "See...nobles don't fall in love with humans. There's a line there they cannot cross. Hanabusa...you're putting him in danger by making him sneak out."

"I don't _make _him do anything," Keiko replied crossly. "He comes out to see me because he likes to be with me."

"I'm not sure that's entirely the case," Akatsuki said, slightly frustrated. "I'm afraid that the only reason he's so desperate to be around you is because he's already been so heavily tamed by you. Hanabusa has a weak spot for girls, anyway, and his interest in you simply made him lower his guard."

"What's so bad about that?" Keiko asked.

"Let me put it into terms you can understand, Keiko. Vampire tamers tame vampires to make friends, right? Wrong. Vampires were originally tamed to become weapons of destruction and a source of defense for humans. What happens when he gets hurt or even killed when a situation arises where he tries to protect you and fails?"

Keiko's eyes widened as Akatsuki's words sunk in. She looked down and Akatsuki noticed a tear hit the ground. "You...you didn't seem to have a problem with it before," she pointed out softly.

"Keiko, look. I'm not trying to make you cry or anything. But Hanabusa's my cousin. He's like a brother to me, and he gets in enough trouble as it is without having to deal with something like this."

"Okay, I get it!" Keiko cried as she looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "I get that you don't care about my _or_ Ai-kun's happiness. You're just worried about what _you_ think is right for him!"

"No, Keiko, that's not what I-"

"Go to hell!" she yelled as she ran to the school.

Akatsuki stood still for a moment as Takuma and Senri appeared at his side.

"That was...noisy," Senri pointed out as he watched Keiko leave.

"What was that about?" Takuma asked.

"She's got a mad crush on my cousin," Akatsuki told them.

"Doesn't every girl?" Senri asked bluntly.

"Well yeah," Akatsuki admitted. "But he has feelings for her as well."

Takuma raised an eyebrow and laughed. "No offense to Aido or anything, but he has a thing for _every_ girl." He stopped laughing when Akatsuki cast a serious glare in his direction. "Wait, you're serious?"

"Nevermind," Akatsuki sighed. "Come on or Kaname-sama will get mad."

* * *

><p>Hanabusa had made his way back to the window just in time to see Keiko yell at his cousin then run off. He frowned and punched the wall in anger, the area around his fist turning to solid ice. "I've had it," he said coolly as he turned away and pull on a T-shirt and a pair of jeans. "If they're going to get in my way, then we'll just remove ourselves from the picture."<p>

It was past twilight by the time Hanabusa arrived at the school. He slipped inside and took off down the hall, heading straight for the headmaster's guestroom. He stopped and caught his breath as he arrived then knocked softly. "Keiko? Keiko, it's me, Aido." Hanabusa stood there for a moment, hearing nothing but silence and was about to give up and look elsewhere when the door opened a crack.

"What do you want?" Keiko asked softly.

"Hey, what's with the attitude?" Hanabusa asked with a smile. "I came here to see you."

"Shouldn't you be in class or something?" came Keiko's answer.

"I could ask you the same thing," Hanabusa said, lowering his head so he was nose-to-nose with the girl. "So, are you going to let me in?"

Keiko hesitated for a moment before opening the door fully allowing Hanabusa to walk inside. He smiled at her, but his face dropped the instant he realized how swollen and red Keiko's eyes were. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh, as if you don't know," Keiko scoffed. "You and your week spot for girls."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Hanabusa asked, feeling a little offended.

"Your cousin said that you have a weak spot for girls. And the only reason you want to be with me is because you're tamed. And...and I'm afraid he might be right."

Hanabusa scoffed. "You think I'm _tamed_? I'll show you tamed." Keiko let out a whimper as her wrists were grabbed and she was forcefully pressed against the wall. Hanabusa maneuvered Keiko's arms so that he was holding both her wrists in one hand and he moved his free hand to the back of her head.

"A-Aido, what're you doing? Let me go!" Keiko said as she squirmed. The tamer bracelet around her wrist started glowing as if it sensed that Keiko was in danger, and Hanabusa felt a hot feeling rushing through his body as the tamer's power tried to control him. The blond closed his eyes and, by pure willpower alone, forced himself to resist the tamer magic. He pressed himself against Keiko's body, preventing her from escaping, and ever so gently tilted Keiko's head, revealing her neck to him. The brunette whimpered as Hanabusa licked her neck, sending shivers shooting up her spine. "I'm far from being tamed, Keiko," he said softly. "You can be sure of that." He opened his mouth slightly and without another moment's hesitation, sank his fangs into her neck.

In the Night Class room, Akatsuki stiffened and looked out the window. He glance over at Kaname and inwardly sighed in relief when he saw the pureblood was deep in thought. "I need to use the restroom," he said to Yagari as he stood up.

Yagari looked up and shook his head. "You vampires, needing potty breaks like normal humans. Jeez."

"We have bladders, too, you know," Akatsuki pointed out, walking to the door.

"Whatever. Just hurry up."

Akatsuki nodded and walked out of the classroom, closing the door behind him. He inhaled, taking in the smells around him and stared out the window at the moon in thought. _'That's definitely the smell of Keiko's blood. But who would...Hanabusa!'_ He groaned and ran toward where the scent was coming from.

In the guest room, Keiko moaned softly as Hanabusa drank from her neck. "A-Aido," she whispered. "Stop..." She could see her vision beginning to blur as a thick haze started to cloud her thoughts.

Hanabusa ignored her completely and continued his act, not bothering to stop the blood that was dripping off of his chin and onto the carpet. _'This is bad,'_ he thought. _'I can't seem to bring myself to stop drinking her blood. If this continues, I might...'_

Akatsuki panted as he arrived at Keiko's room. The smell of blood was overwhelming here which sent Akatsuki into a small panic. "Hanabusa!" he yelled as he burst through the door. His cousin lifted up his head in shock and at that moment, the redhead noticed the blood on Hanabusa's face, as well as the floor and Keiko's body. "Hanabusa...what are you doing?"

"Ai...do..." Keiko whispered. And without Hanabusa's body for support, Keiko fell forward and the blond had to rush forward to catch her as she lost consciousness. Hanabusa stared down at the motionless body in his arms for a moment then looked back up at Akatsuki. "Hi," he said coldly.

"Look, Hanabusa, I know you're mad, but-"

Hanabusa laughed as he picked Keiko up in his arms bridal style. "Mad?" he repeated. He gave another small giggle before saying, "Silly. I'm not mad."

"You're...not?"

"Of course not." The smile faded from the blond's face and a red glow overcame his eyes. "I'm pissed beyond reason."

"H-Hanabusa!"

"Don't call my name like you're worried about me, Akatsuki! This is all _your_ fault in the first place!"

"My fault?" Akatsuki repeated in shock. "You're the one drenched in blood, holding an unconscious human in your arms and this is somehow _my_ fault?"

Hanabusa smirked. "What, so it's my fault I went against my tamer's wishes? Oh, bad Hanabusa."

"You know, you look really scary giving me that look while covered in blood. And your eyes are glowing...Hanabusa snap out of it!"

"I was never 'in' it," Hanabusa replied, walking over to the balcony of the room.

"Where are you going?" Akatsuki asked, taking a step forward.

Hanabusa frowned and immediately a thick wall of ice formed in front of Akatsuki, blocking Hanabusa and Keiko from his view. "Away from here," Hanabusa replied, stepping onto the guardrail. "Catch me if you can," he taunted before he jumped off the rail and disappeared.

Akatsuki lifted his hand and, after a bit of effort, was able to somewhat dissipate his cousin's wall. _'His powers have gotten stronger,'_ he thought in panic as he ran over to the balcony. He spotted his cousin running in the distance and his panic grew knowing there was no way he would be able to catch them now. "Hanabusa!" he yelled. "Damn it!"

* * *

><p>Hanabusa stopped running and looked behind him as he panted heavily. He had run non-stop all the way to the nearest 'Aido' building without really making sure that he hadn't been followed. His worry subsided, however, when he realized he was safe and he smiled and carried Keiko inside. He took her up to a room on the second floor and laid her in the bed, covering her with a blanket when he was sure she was in a comfortable position. The blond suddenly felt a pang of guilt as he took in the deep bite marks in her neck. "Oops," he said softly as he placed a hand on her cheek. "Sorry, Keiko...I really need to get you cleaned up," he groaned before turning and walking out of the room.<p>

Keiko woke up moments later feeling extremely lightheaded. She blinked a few times, causing her blurry vision to finally clear a little bit. _'Where am I?'_ she wondered. She turned her head as the door opened and saw Hanabusa walk in with a wet rag in his hand. "Ai...do?"

"Keiko!" Hanabusa cried happily. "You're awake! Thank goodness! I thought I had killed you for a moment."

"Killed...me?" The memory of what happened back in the headmaster's guest room began to come back to her and she stared at Hanabusa with wide eyes. "Killed me," she whispered. "Why? Why did you do that?"

"I'm sorry," Hanabusa said, looking to the side. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I was just so mad that Akatsuki wouldn't leave us alone, so..."

"So you drank my blood until I passed out then kidnapped me."

"Please don't say kidnapped," Hanabusa said guiltily. "I already feel bad enough as it is."

Keiko stared at the ceiling as Hanabusa sat down next to her and place the wet rag on her forehead. "You know," she started as Hanabusa pulled the blanket up to her chin, "I feel the same way."

"About?" Hanabusa asked gently as he ran his fingers through Keiko's hair.

"About your cousin not minding his own business," she told him with a smile.

Hanabusa halfheartedly returned her smile then looked to the side with a small sigh.

"What?" Keiko asked sitting up. She quickly held a hand up to her head as the room started spinning and she moaned lightly.

"You shouldn't sit up," Hanabusa told her.

"I'm fine," Keiko told him, getting out of the covers and laying her head on his lap. "Now what's wrong?"

"I...They're going to come after me," Hanabusa explained softly. "Keiko looked at him confused. Aido looked up with her, worry flooding his blue eyes. "Keiko, I bit you and drank your blood without any restraint...and then I...kidnapped you and brought you here, but..."

"But what?"

"This will be the first place they look for us...we need to leave. At least, I do..."

Keiko twisted herself so she was lying on her back and stared up at Hanabusa. "Do you intend on leaving me here?"

Hanabusa shook his head as his hands gripped the sheets. "No. I can't."

"Good," Keiko said, sitting in his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. She touched her nose to his and smiled. "Because I want to go with you."

Hanabusa looked at her a moment longer then closed his eyes as she leaned forward and kissed him lovingly.

* * *

><p>Akatsuki stood in Kaname's office and stared down at the floor. He had just finished telling the pureblood about Hanabusa's rebellious behavior and was now awaiting further orders.<p>

"This could be a problem," Kaname said, trailing his finger in circles on his desk. "You say he ran in the direction of the city?"

Akatsuki nodded. "There's an Aido mansion in the area."

Kaname frowned and tapped his finger in thought. "No doubt that's where he's headed. We need to find her."

"Kaname-sama, pardon me asking, but...what is so important about this girl that you have taken an interest in her? I mean, Yuki I understand, she's your sister. But Keiko...what does she mean to you?"

Kaname averted his eyes to the door. "Come in, Takuma."

Takuma walked in, a troubled expression filling his green eyes. He looked over at Akatsuki and gave a sad shrug. "She's _my_ sister."

"What?" Akatsuki stared at Takuma in disbelief. "Your...sister? You don't have a sister!"

Takuma nodded. "I do. She's my half-sister, though. We had different mothers," the blond explained. "That's why we don't exactly look similar. Keiko was raised by my vampire father and her human mother. Mother and I didn't know bout her for the longest time until I stumbled upon her by accident. I was out playing in the yard and I noticed her playing nearby. Keiko and her mother were living in a house near ours and when I was playing, I ran into her...literally. I thought she looked like my dad, but I brushed it off since I knew that Mom and Dad hadn't had another child besides me. Then, one day, there was a bad storm. It was really windy and there was a lot of lighting and thunder. We didn't know it, but there was a tornado headed our way. Soon the power went out and the windows started rattling. Dad hurried me and Mom downstairs as a precaution then left the house. We probably would have been fine staying above ground since we were vampires and all, but I stayed with Mom until the morning and that was when Dad brought Keiko home. Her mother's house had been totally destroyed, and there was no sign of her anywhere. We did find blood all over the remains of the house, though, so we presumed that she was dead. Dad decided it would be best not to let my grandfather know about her for obvious reasons, so he contacted the Mie Clan and arranged for a family to come pick her up. Keiko was about five when she left...and I never saw her again."

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Akatsuki asked.

Takuma smiled. "I didn't realize it was her at first. I didn't find out until I found her file when I was cleaning Kaname-sama's office. You have to remember it's been about ten years since I've seen her. Funny, when she was little she had dirty blond hair and blue green eyes. It all seemed like such a dream that when I met Kaname-sama and the rest of you years later, I had pretty much forgotten all about it. But now she's gone, and..." Takuma broke off and looked at the ground.

"And you didn't get the chance to really say anything to her?" Akatsuki asked.

Takuma nodded.

Kaname switched his gaze from Akatsuki to Takuma and back again. "The information in the file was supposed to be classified. Only Headmaster Cross and I knew about her connection with Ichijo, but we decided not to say anything about it for the good of both of them. Even she doesn't know about it. But now your cousin's gone, too, Kain, and you're involved. We need to find those two at all costs. Since Keiko is part vampire, we have no idea about what her true potential holds since it could be suppressed because of the tamer magic she was raised with. If her vampire instincts stay suppressed then we have nothing to worry about, but...if her powers _do_ awaken..." He looked up at the two vampires in front of him. "I don't know what could happen..."

* * *

><p><em>AN: Did you like it? Please tell me you liked it. It was good right? ;D I actually liked how this revision came out. I didn't quite like the idea of making Aido intentionally hurt another person, so I kinda edited it a bit, and I think it's better. And then at the end, I think I made it seem like Takuma's father was babying Takuma and his mother like a couple of humans, so I kinda wanted to change that up, too. In case you don't get it: Taku's daddy kept Takuma and his mother in the basement simply because he didn't want to risk the two of them getting hurt even if they would have been okay. He was just being a worrisome father xD Anyway, don't forget to R & R like always!_


	6. Chapter 6

_~*Hey everyone! I think I'm doing a pretty good job keeping up with this revision thing...I think the next story I'm going to work on is 'Snakes, Weasels, and Foxes', my Naruto fic. And then after that, I may finally get starting on finishing 'Return of the Pharaoh'. I know a lot of you have been waiting for that. But anyway, for right now, please enjoy Chapter 6! Of course, as you all know, nothing involving Vampire Knight belongs to me. I only own the original character Keiko Mie.*~_

Chapter 6:

_-Four months later-_

Akatsuki woke up in the middle of the afternoon to the sound of his bedroom door opening. He sat up as Takuma walked in, a look of depression plastered on his face as he looked at the redhead. "Kaname-sama wants to see us," the blond said softly.

Akatsuki's face fell. "Now?" he groaned.

Takuma nodded. "Now."

Akatsuki sighed and reluctantly got out of bed then followed Takuma to Kaname's office.

"We're here, Kaname-sama," Takuma greeted as he opened the door.

Kaname looked up, the very slight dimming of his eyes being the only give away of his exhaustion. "Were you able to find any sign yesterday?" he asked the two as the they closed the door behind them.

Takuma looked down at the ground as Akatsuki shook his head. "No," the redhead sighed. "We've searched everywhere. Every Aido building, alley, abandoned building...everywhere. I don't even think they're in town anymore."

Kaname pounded his desk with his fist, causing it to split down the middle. "It's been four months...where could they be?"

* * *

><p>Hanabusa opened his eyes just as the sun was setting. It had been four months since he and Keiko disappeared from the Academy. After leaving the first Aido building, they had boarded a subway and just rode until they felt like getting off...in the middle of a small town 200 miles away. Hanabusa had been able to discreetly access his bank account and pull out enough money to get a small house for the two of them. Of course, they had run into a bit of trouble when a couple of noble class vampires recognized Aido and insisted on interrogating him about why he was so close to a human. However, after finding out that Keiko was a tamer, they quickly left the two of them and made a promise to keep the location of the two a secret. For the next four months after that, Keiko had been working a day job at a local vet clinic then came home to take a nap so she could spend the coming night hours with Hanabusa.<p>

The blond rolled on his side, smiling when he saw Keiko asleep next to him. "Hey, you," he whispered gently as he touched his nose with hers. Keiko groaned lightly and opened her eyes then returned his smile. "Hm? Hi, Ai-kun."

Hanabusa sat up. "Four months and you're still calling me by my last name," he sighed playfully.

"I'm sorry, Hana-kun," Keiko apologized with a smile.

The blond raised an eyebrow. "You do realize that you're calling me a flower, right?"

Keiko grinned and sat up as well. "Would you rather me call you 'petals'?" he asked.

Hanabusa laughed lightly. "I can't win."

Keiko giggled then kissed him on the cheek. "Nope! Now come on. We can't just sit the night away!"

Hanabusa gave a small smile then groaned and fell backwards onto the pillow. "I'm so hungry."

"Food hungry or blood hungry?" Keiko asked, leaning over him.

"Both," Hanabusa replied. "Would there be a chance you had a couple of blood tablets?"

Keiko shook her head. "I'm afraid not. I'm not a vampire, Hana-kun. Did you take the last one already?"

"A few days ago," the blond replied with a slight frown.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Keiko asked, a disappointed edge to her voice. "I would have gladly given you some of mine."

"You just said you didn't have any," Hanabusa said, cocking an eyebrow.

"I don't," Keiko answered. "I meant my blood."

Hanabusa shook his head. "No, I couldn't do that."

"Why not? You've done it before."

"Yeah," Hanabusa said as he fidgeted. "But that was different. I was being rebellious."

"I thought we were still being rebellious," Keiko pointed out mischievously. "Just do it. It'll make you feel better and then we can go get some real food. Okay?"

Hanabusa groaned softly and frowned before sitting up and pulling the brunette into his lap. "Fine. But you stop me if it becomes too much to handle, alright?"

"Don't worry about me," Keiko said, leaning against him. "Just do it."

Hanabusa hesitated for a moment longer then finally gave in to his hunger and slowly licked Keiko's neck before lightly biting down. The brunette winced at first, but it only took a second for her breathing to return to normal and she began to relax. Keiko blinked slowly as she listened intently to the blond's rhythmic gulps as he drank from her neck. She had actually expected to be afraid or nervous, but instead all she felt was a warm, calm feeling filling her body. Yes, a vampire was drinking her blood, but it was one that she cared for deeply, more than anything else in the world. And for him, she would gladly give her blood any day.

Just as the feeling of light-headedness began to hit, Hanabusa pulled away from her neck. "Are you okay?" he asked, wiping the blood of his mouth with his hand.

Keiko shook her head roughly to get the blood flowing again then smiled at him. "Yep! I'm fine! More importantly, how do you feel?"

"Better," Hanabusa replied, looking at the blood on Keiko's neck. "Come on. I want to get that cleaned up so we don't attract any unwanted attention."

"Okay."

* * *

><p>"Ichijou-san!"<p>

Takuma turned around as the dorm housekeeper made her way over to him. "Here you go," she said as she handed him a stack of books.

"Oh thank, you very much," Takuma said politely. "Hm? What's this?" Sitting on top of his books was a light blue envelope with the Ichijo family seal on the back to keep it closed. _'Great,'_ he thought. _'Another unwanted letter from the Association.' _The blond flipped the envelope over, glancing at the return address, then stopped dead as he stared at where the letter had been sent from. "OH MY GOD!"

Akatsuki and the others suddenly appeared out of their rooms and gathered around the blond. "What's the matter?" Ruka asked him, trying to catch a peek at the letter as Takuma opened it.

Takuma looked up at the others, a looked of shot plastered on his face. "My father...He's coming to the Academy."

"This should be fun," Senri replied sarcastically.

Takuma looked down at the letter in his hands again and read a few lines. "He says that he needs to talk to me about my sister...and that it's urgent."

"Sister?" A girl with red hair in pigtails tilted her head as her blue eyes reflected everyone's confusion.

Takuma nodded. "Oh, you don't know, do you, Rima?"

Rima shook her head as Ruka placed a hand on her hip. "Yeah, neither do we."

"It turns out Keiko is my half-sister who I haven't seen in ten years."

"Wait," Rima said. "You mean the Keiko in our class that ran off with Aido?"

"Yeah," Takuma said. "I haven't seen her in so long and now she's disappeared again. I can't really find it in me to be too worried though...it's kinda hard to be attached to a person you can hardly remember anything about."

Ruka looked behind her at Akatsuki. The redhead had his head down and his red-orange eyes stared at nothing as he was lost in his own thoughts. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

Akatsuki looked up at her wearily. "I miss Hanabusa," he told her.

Ruka looked to the side sadly. "Believe it or not, I miss that stupid blond, too. He lightened the mood around here."

Akatsuki sighed and looked out the window. "I wonder what he's doing now..."

* * *

><p>Hanabusa and Keiko walked through their small town as they looked for something to appease their appetites. The moon shone brightly overhead and the town itself was quiet except for the few stores that were open during the night.<p>

"Okay," Keiko sighed. "What to eat?" She let go of Hanabusa's hand as she walked over to a nearby restaurant stand and stared at the menu. "I think I want sashimi and yakisoba."

"And for me...Sukiyaki and kyabetsu."

"Ew!" Keiko said, scrunching her nose at Hanabusa's choice of food. "You like cabbage?"

Hanabusa laughed. "You do know that yakisoba has cabbage in it, too, right?"

"What?" Keiko said in surprise. "Ew! Okay, instead I was sashimi and...negi!"

"You're going to have onion breath," Hanabusa told her.

Keiko glared at him then turned back to the vendor. "Just give me the sashimi," she decided.

"Coming right up," the vendor replied as he turned around to prepare the food.

After the meals were ready, Hanabusa and Keiko decided that they would take a walk as they ate. "This place is so pretty," Keiko said softly as she looked around at all the different colored lights hanging overhead.

"Yes, you are," Hanabusa said without thinking. When Keiko looked at him, he turned and blushed. "I-I mean...uh..."

"That was sweet," Keiko told him with a smile. "Thank you, Hana-kun."

"S-sure," Hanabusa said, still shocked that such a thing had come out of his mouth. His look of confusion quickly changed to one of suspicion as an older man walked up to them. Keiko had no idea who it was, but Hanabusa recognized him immediately. "Ichiou..." he said quietly.

Keiko looked up at Hanabusa then back to the man. "Ichiou?"

"His full name is Asato Ichijou," Hanabusa replied with a glare. "He's Ichijou-san's grandfather...and supposed to be dead."

Keiko gasped lightly then turned her attention back to Asato.

"The young Aido boy. In my way again, I see?"

"What are you doing here?" Hanabusa demanded, moving Keiko behind him.

"I just came to see the face of my cute granddaughter," Asato replied with a smirk.

"Granddaughter?" Hanabusa repeated, casting a glance at Keiko. "But...that would make you Ichijou's sister...which would make you..." he cut off as his eyes widened.

"A vampire," Keiko finished softly in shock. "Excuse me," she said, looking back at Asato, "how to you know I'm related to Ichijou-senpai? I've never met you before in my life!"

"I told you, Keiko, I'm your grandfather. Now if you don't mind," he said, turning his attention to Hanabusa. "I'm going to bring her with me."

As Asato stepped forward, Hanabusa created a wall of ice, blocking them from Asato's sight. "You can't have her. Keiko, run!"

Keiko nodded and turned to run only to be cut off by a few other vampires that seemed to materialize out of thin air. "Hanabusa! Help!" she screamed. One of the vampires that had a hold of her held a wet cloth to her face and seconds later, Keiko was out cold.

"Keiko!" Hanabusa yelled. As he was distracted, Asato hit him in the back of the head with a staff, watching with a cold smile as the blond fell to the ground.

Hanabusa laid in the road, barely conscious as he watched Asato make his way over to the other vampires and then, as quick as they came, they were all gone.

Hanabusa moaned as he opened his eyes. He laid on his back for a moment as he stared up at the dawn sky. _'The sky?'_ he thought. _'Why am I outside?'_ "Wait! It's dawn!" The blond quickly jumped to his feet and looked around. The city was only beginning to awaken and it seemed like no one had noticed the unconscious blond. Hanabusa brushed himself off and looked around for the nearest payphone. "Perfect. I pick today of all days to forget my cell phone," he mumbled as he ran to a phone booth by the restaurant stand he and Keiko had gotten food from the night before. Hanabusa hesitated before picking up the receiver. It had been four months since he had spoken to anyone at the Academy. Would they even be willing to listen to him? He shook the thought out of his mind, a look of determination coming over his face. "I have to try," he said as he dialed a number.

Akatsuki stood at his window and looked at the multicolored sky as the sun began to rise. _'Dawn...the meaning of my name.'_ He looked down at a vase of now mostly dead flowers that Keiko had given Hanabusa when they first met. _'And flower petals...Hanabusa's meaning.'_ He shook his head and sighed. "Dammit, Hanabusa. I wish I knew where you were..." He looked over as his cell phone because buzzing loudly on his dresser. _'If that's...'_ he thought. _'No. There's no way. That would be some luck.'_ He walked over to his dresser and picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Akatsuki!"

"Hanabusa?" Akatsuki exclaimed in shock.

"Akatsuki, you have to help me!" Hanabusa said urgently.

"I haven't heard from you in four months, Hanabusa! Where are you? Why did you leave? Are you alright?"

"Stop with the questions!" Hanabusa yelled at him. "Listen to me! I need you guys to get here right away! Ichiou's kidnapped Keiko!"

* * *

><p><em>AN: DUN DUN DUN! Cliffhanger! :D Please remember to R & R like always!_


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